I am not an outsider: Elli

Elli feels that filmmakers are biased towards new actors from outside India

Actor Elli Avram might still be trying to find her feet in Bollywood, but she doesn’t like being referred to as an outsider. The 26-year-old actor, who has worked in films such as Mickey Virus (2013), Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon (2015) and Naam Shabana (2017), says, “I’m very much a part of the industry. When you work in Bollywood, you automatically become a part of it.” The Swedish-greek actor became popular after her stint on the reality show Bigg Boss 7 (2013), in which her innocence won her many fans. However, making a mark in Bollywood still seems to be a long journey for her. Ask her why she isn’t getting enough offers, and the 26-year-old actor says, often, filmmakers aren’t keen to cast new actors from outside India. “It is easy to have a perception but I feel that filmmakers should give a chance to the aspiring actors. After the audition, if they feel that one can’t play the role, they are more than welcome to reject them,” says Elli. The actor says that a lot of people in the industry don’t even know that she can speak Hindi fluently. “I’m comfortable with the language. For all my script narrations, I get it done in Hindi, for it gives me more clarity. If you narrate anything to me in English and I have to play the character in Hindi, it makes no sense,” adds the actor. Elli shares that directors impressed with her dialect often enquire, ‘Hindi aati hai?’ “I keep looking at their faces because I don’t [understand] why they have this perception. I respond to them in Hindi and they get shocked. And, for this language barrier, you can’t deprive me of a chance to audition for a hardcore Indian role,” says Elli, admitting that this attitude does get irritating, at times.

It is easy to have a perception but I feel that filmmakers should give a chance to aspiring actors ELLI AVRAM, ACTOR

PHOTOS: YOGEN SHAH